“If that car isn't illegal, then he ain't trying”: Dale Earnhardt Jr. makes his sentiments known on finding loopholes in NASCAR rulebook is vital

Since the inception of motorsports, racers have been looking to gain an advantage by finding rulebook loopholes, and NASCAR is no exception. In an episode of the Dale Jr. Download podcast, Dale Earnhardt Jr. acknowledged that teams entered illegal racecars all the time back in the day.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. is a former NASCAR Cup Series driver who won 26 races in the premier series. During his Cup racing days, he drove the No. 8 Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt, Inc. (DEI) before moving to the No. 88 for Hendrick Motorsports.

Earnhardt Jr. shared teams running illegal cars during an interview with NASCAR Hall of Famer Darrell Waltrip in 2020.

Waltrip admitted installing lead shots in car frames that would melt in a race. The goal was to pass the pre-race weight requirement and run with a lighter car as the lead melted on the track through a hole.

To avoid getting caught, Waltrip put the hole in the car's jacking point, preventing race officials from finding the illegal modification when the vehicle was lifted for inspection.

"So they're [officials] looking at all the cars. They take the jack and they jack the car up. So the jack is sitting on the hole. They could look forever, they're never going to find it," Waltrip shared. [0:28]

In reponse, Dale Earnhardt Jr. said:

I always believe that if your crew chief isn't trying... if that car isn't illegal, then he ain't trying hard enough." [0:41]

"Our job as drivers and crew chiefs and all the mechanics and craft guys back here, engineers, especially these days, it's their job to find holes in that rule book. Like you say, not break the rules, make new ones," he added.

Darrell Waltrip concluded his NASCAR career with 84 Cup race wins, fifth on the all-time list. He also earned three championships, joining the club with the likes of Lee Petty and Cale Yarborough.

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"Dad and Darrell Waltrip": Dale Earnhardt Jr. shared his favorite NASCAR rivalries

On the Dale Jr. Download podcast, Dale Earnhardt Jr. opened up about his favorite NASCAR rivalries. One of which was the rivalry between his father Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Darrell Waltrip, which resulted in a controversial incident at Richmond Raceway in 1986.

Dale Sr. made contact with Waltrip's No. 11 right rear, causing his rival's car to hit the wall but he got collected in the incident.

Recalling the rivalry, Dale Jr shared:

"So dad and Darrell Waltrip... the wreck at Richmond. I have Darrell's race car from that wreck in my graveyard. And so they had a run there where they really were upset with each other." [0:23]

"And Darrell was a formidable rival because of his ability to be good in the media," he added.

While Waltrip won three championships, Dale Sr. secured seven titles. His second championship was won in the 1986 season when he had the Richmond incident with Waltrip, the defending champion at the time. Dale Sr. went back-to-back in the following year for his third title.